Narrator: Turquoise Martin
Summary: Turquoise Martin grew up in the Bronx and in Harlem. While she was never detained at Rikers, she visited several loved ones there, including her fiancé, whom she brought books and magazines to. She recalls taking two subway trains and a bus to Rikers. She could easily tell when they were approaching Rikers on the bus because of the strong stench of sewage. She describes Rikers as “cold, dark, isolated, almost like another world.” She talks about the racial disparities of the justice system, and recalls worrying if she should save for her son’s college tuition or his bail money, should she ever need it. (Summary written by: Annie Anderson)
Interview Date: 1/22/20
Partner Organization: College & Community Fellowship
Interviewer: Samantha Khandakji
Tags: personal history of incarceration, network of support, intake, visitation process, prison facilities, emotional impact of visitation, impact on outside relationships, network of support, impact on communities, NYC policies, reparations, close Rikers, Rikers Island, Incarceration, Prison abolition, New York City, Oral history, Rikers Public Memory Project, RPMP
To read the transcript of this interview, click here